


What the Wind Blew In

by DestielBelle



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-04-28 22:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5108240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestielBelle/pseuds/DestielBelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus Lupin was well versed in the land of text, dusty books and late-nights. He stumbled through life, one fall at a time, until one day he landed at Sirius Black's feet. Literally.</p><p>A modern, student, non-magic au. I'm just going to see where this story takes me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Remus Lupin sighed as he turned the corner. Glasses threatened to slip off his nose as he stared intently at his book, almost as though he expected something other than words to come into view. As a well-practised book-walker, he didn’t consider the cobbles beneath his feet as a threat, trusting them to carry him. As an absent minded, stressed boy, he didn’t consider the too-long, frayed hem of his corduroy jeans. This lack of consideration resulted in him stumbling over the smooth stones and lying in a heap of worn cotton, tawny, fluffy hair likened to that of a lions mane, and a pile of books.

Tired as he was after a long night of reading and essay writing, he lay there a while before mustering the strength to bring himself back to the land of the vertical. However, before he could do any such mustering, he felt a toe prod into his side. Instinctively he curled up, head shielded beneath cold-bitten rosy knuckles. The prod came again, along with a gravelly, distinctively English voice.

“Are you alright?”

No answer.

“I saw you fall from inside the café”

Remus groaned. He hadn’t realised he was near any civilisation. He’d presumed the street to be empty, or else he wouldn’t have taken a power-nap in the middle of the street. Unfurling himself, and pushing up on his stress-bitten fingers, he murmured, “Fine, thank you.” This didn’t seem to satisfy the other man as his steel-toed, well-worn doc martens remained in Remus’s sight. He sighed again, readjusting his glasses with one hand and dragging the other through leaf-sprinkled locks. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, I just tripped”. There was still no movement from the shoes in front of him. Remus reached forward and began to gather the books that were sprawled about him, hoping none of them were damaged, as he couldn’t afford to replace them for the library. Again.

“Yes, but you didn’t get up. I wanted to check you weren’t concussed”

Remus huffed as he began to clamber up, books now securely locked under one arm, “No, I didn’t hit my head. I was just tired, I figured since I was suddenly horizontal I may as well take a nap.”

The man whom the gravelly voice belonged to, began to chuckle; a warm blustery sound that made Remus realise how ridiculous what he’d just done was. A slant began to tug at the corners of cold-tinted lips as he finally righted himself and raised his eyes to the laughing man.

He had to tilt his chin to see the face the laugh belonged to; eyes eventually falling on a sharp jawline, a long nose, deep-blue eyes and glossy strands of hair that danced through every laughed breath. The lines that creased the smooth cheeks and corners of the strangers’ almond eyes made Remus never want to lower his chin again.

The creases suddenly gave way to an impeccably smooth face, the lips no longer stretched taut, but parted slightly as his eyes met warm amber and stormy grey.

“And how are you feeling now? Less tired?”

Remus took a sharp intake in breath, “Yes, surprisingly.” He didn’t explain it was because of the shock that had just run through his lethargic system, that the face that had just fallen into his gaze was like resuscitation to any slumber he may have been previously in.

Instead he said, “Thank you for checking” and took a step back before his body betrayed him and took one forward. His trouser hem was still caught round his heel; the uneven cobble was still protruding. He stumbled. Again.

A warm, strong hand gripped his bicep, preventing him from becoming horizontal again and his rosy, wind-flushed cheeks deepened to a wine. “Thank you. Again! Sorry, sorry I’m so clumsy, tha-”

“Hey, hey it’s no problem. I think you should come sit down before going anywhere else, okay? You look frozen”

It was true, the holey, woollen jumper that sagged at Remus’ collar and elbows was doing little to shield from the biting swirls of autumnal wind. And it was also true that Remus probably shouldn’t go anywhere yet, as he was clearly still unsteady on his feet. But Sirius’ main motive was the fact that this man looked like he had been blown in with the wind, his colour palette stolen from autumn itself; golden skin flushed pink in places that stuck out, a shock of auburn hair, rust red lips, an amber eye and a body so slight the wind seemingly could have picked him up. Despite this, when he circled the other man’s arm, there was much more than skin and bone, ropes of sinew flexed as he was hauled up. No, this man wasn’t leaving just yet.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius withdrew his hand as the autumn-man looked down, nibbling at his lip as he started to shake his head.

“No really, it’s fine, thank you for checking on me but I’ve got to get home I have essays due and stories that are waiting and-”, Remus didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of this ethereal specimen any longer, he just wanted to go home and make himself tea and get lost in a book where things this beautiful only existed on paper. He wanted to forget this ever happened… he realised books were being removed from his grasp and looked up again.

“Come on, I’m not letting you go write essays after you’ve had a nap on the street. You clearly need a rest. I was just inside reading myself – I’ll buy you a coffee”

Remus’s cheeks flared again. Goodness, it sounded like he was being asked on a date following the average frame a teenage-romance novelist may use, or that might appear in a rom-com script or- “Okay, thank you”, what? No? No, no that hadn’t been what he meant to have said. Yet his feet were moving, tripping against the uneven ground and following the taller man into the inviting warmth that was being held open for him.

His vision fogged as his glasses appreciated the air’s warm moisture and he meandered through tables and chairs to a small one at the back. Thank goodness, he thought. The tables positioning meant that this man had been the only one to witness him fall. At least his humiliation didn’t get any worse. His books were set gently on the table and a worn-leather chair pulled out for him. As the dark haired man took the seat opposite, Remus noticed that the ebony locks were much longer than he’d thought, and were pulled into a messy bun. His breathing hitched as he looked down and fiddled with the fraying sleeves of his jumper.

“I’m Sirius, by the way”

Remus glanced up anxiously, wondering if he’d somehow given the impression he was laughing at the other man’s actions, “Sorry! I didn’t think you were joking! No, no thank you for offering the coffee!”

He was greeted with another face-creasing laugh, “No, my name! My name is Sirius!”

Oh, okay. The embarrassment clearly wasn’t going to die down whilst this beautiful Sirius was around. Cheeks now blazing, Remus replied, “Oh. Sorry! I’m Remus. My name’s weird too so I should have realised that was a name – not that your name’s weird – it’s just – I’m usually the one who has to repeat my name and - ”

“Hey, hey! Its okay, my name is weird, I’m used to people’s responses.”

“It’s a star is it not?”

Sirius met the golden man’s eyes sharply. He hadn’t met many people that knew that without looking it up first, “Yes. Yes, it is. How did you know that?”

Remus shrugged, the jumper falling down so a jutting collar bone was revealed, “I read.”

Sirius’ gaze fell to the now bared collar, subconsciously licking his lip as he replied, “That’s some serious reading.”

“Yes, I guess so. I work in a library and I read whatever I can get my hands on.”

“Oh, you’re not a student?” Sirius had recognised the stamp of Kings College London on one of the books, and had presumed Remus studied there.

“No, no I am. But I have to work a lot to pay the fees. Are you a student?”, Remus’ anxiety started to subside as they entered a topic territory he was comfortable with.

“Yes. 2nd year Sociology at Goldsmiths. What do you study?”

Remus smirked a little, “English Lit at Kings. Was it not obvious?”

A tinge of pink bloomed on the dark haired man’s high cheekbones as he huffed a laugh, looking down, “Yeah, I should have guessed.”. Fiddling with his mug, he suddenly remembered the purpose of dragging Remus in here, “Oh! Your coffee! What would you like?”

“Oh you really don’t have to its fine.”

“Goodness, so quintessentially British. I insist, Remus”

The maned-man blushed again, fully aware of his overly polite manners from years of anxiety, “Well, I guess a cup of tea would be lovely. Thank you.”

It was Sirius’ turn to smirk, “Tea, of course. To match the manners.”

Remus inclined his head in amused agreement and picked at the sticky glossed wood of the table. He let his gaze wander as Sirius was at the counter, taking note of the jumbled assortment of seating arrangements; warm lighting and the pleasant hum of people quietly talking or studying with one another, almost like white noise.

His wandering eyes came to rest on Sirius whom, above his doc martens, was wearing ripped and faded black jeans, which had obviously reached such a state through wear rather than paying a factory worker to cut rips in them for him. They caught tightly around his calves, the muscularity of them causing Remus’ mind to meander to footballers in short shorts. This still in mind he continued looking up, and had to look away quickly. It wasn’t safe for him to look at an arse like that in public without blushing furiously for no apparent reason. Of course the reason was generally because Remus’ extremely active imagination would start to play out several scenes, usually causing him to trip over the nearest object in his distraction. Re-focusing on Sirius’ upper body he appreciated the way the leather jacket fitted snugly over the shoulders, billowing out at the elbows and waist and then drawing back in again. It gave Remus the impression of someone who had just been flying, the wind so fierce it caused leather to billow. It made him quite uncomfortable; Sirius looked like he had just walked out of a book.

The fairy-tale character spun on a clunky foot, tea dwarfed in his fingers, the butterflies in Remus’ stomach dancing at the realisation that there was chipped black nail polish on them. He took a deep breath, looking back down at the table as he wondered just where Sirius Black had blown in from.


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius returned with two steaming cups, a hazelnut latte for himself. On divulging this information, Sirius watched Remus’ mouth turn up crookedly, a ghost of a grin fighting with his muscles. The sight made his stomach drop.

“What’s so funny?”, he asked with a grin of his own.

“Oh, just the irony of if I stick so well to the stereotype you seem to think I am, you really don’t.”

“Never seen a man in a leather jacket drink something sweet and milky before?”

Remus’ quick mind caused an immediate blush as alternative interpretations of the sentence ran through it, “This would be my first time in a cafe. Not that I’m complaining.”

Sirius thought that he wasn’t the only one not sticking to his stereotype. He wouldn’t have expected the other man to interpret and respond to his attempt at flirting so quickly. It threw him off a little, so he took a large gulp of the drink in question instead of replying. When he lowered the mug, the leafy-haired man’s smile had become a fully-fledged grin.

“What’s so funny now?”, he demanded. To his shock Remus lifted a nail-bitten hand and reached towards him.

“You’ve, uh, got some sweet... milky… stuff …just – there.”. A finger swiped across his upper lip softly, and before he could blink, the hand was back on the other side of the table, reaching up to the golden man’s face. Sirius could only stare, jaw slightly slack, as Remus sucked the finger between his flushed lips and said, “Mm, it’s quite good actually.”

Sirius gaped as Remus’s amber eye gleamed, clearly having finally snapped himself out of his sleepy state. Instead of responding with something cool and flirtatious like he wanted to, he blurted out, “Your eyes! Do you have heterochromia iridium?”

Because as the amber eye glowed, an icy grey one twinkled; the only hint of winter on an otherwise autumnal day.

Barely blinking at the sudden conversation change, Remus replied, “Yes. Quite obviously. Although not many people know the name for that?”

Sirius was still pink from the flirtatious exchange, “You’re not the only one who spend their free time learning. You may read books, but I watch documentaries all too frequently.”

Remus pondered over this. He liked that within half an hour of meeting this man he had already seen several layers of him, for the first time not comparing him to a fictional character; he was clearly too complex for that. Rather than explaining this, or replying with another appropriate answer, he just subconsciously murmured, “Onion.”.

“Hm? What?”

Remus’s head snapped up from the tea it was staring into, causing a few of the leaves in his hair to flutter down as he did so, “What?”

“You said something? It sounded like minion?”

Remus visibly shuddered as he flashed back to babysitting he was once roped into, “What? No. Oh! Onion.”

The perplexed look remained on Sirius’ face and Remus was again distracted by how such a look good appear so attractive when this man’s face was the canvas.

“Onion?”

After no reply he looked back up into the dual toned eyes and found that they held a source of comfort not unlike that conjured at the prospect of being heaped under blankets with a good documentary during autumn.

A gentle smile forming, he took another, calmer sip of the offending drink and settled contentedly back in his chair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter!

They continued to sit in the tiny café, falling in and out of gentle flirtation, until the other customers had dwindled down to an old man who looked like he had nowhere else to go and a student that had fallen asleep on their work; the foam from Sirius’ drink almost entirely deflated. Remus suddenly became aware of this when a loud tune startled the both of them and he pulled out his phone.

“Is that a Nokia brick?” Sirius exclaimed incredulously.

“Uh… I don’t know? It’s a mobile phone?” Remus replied warily. He was met with the same small grin that had made many reappearances that afternoon.

“Right, sure.”

Remus looked back down at the phone, “Fuck. Its 7o’clock!”

Sirius felt his face heat up as he realised that was the first time he had heard the other man swear, and realised that it had been said in an accent other than English. Pondering on what it could be (he always got Welsh, Scottish and Irish accents confused, out of context), he responded, “Oh, yeah it is.”

“It’s late! I’d usually be home right now and-”, Remus cut off realising how boring the admission he was about to make was.

“And what?”

“Nothing.”, the top of Remus’ cheekbones started glowing with sunset pink again.

“No, what were you going to say? Won’t laugh, promise.”

Remus couldn’t tell if the dark-haired boy would or not. He seemed to laugh a little at everything he had said that afternoon, but did seem earnest, and Remus felt he could trust him.

“I would normally be reading with a cup of tea by now.” He admitted, glancing up. And there it was that ghost of a smirk that curved up his sculpted face. “Hey!” he punctuated with a kick under the table, “I told you not to laugh!”

“Hey yourself” a foot met his in return, “I’m not laughing! I’m smiling! Of course you would be reading.” And Sirius realised he was smiling. He realised he had been doing so since he first saw this breath of autumn wind; something that had happened so frequently for a long, long while. Wanting to lessen the bookish boy’s embarrassment, but not the cranberry tinge on his golden skin, he changed the subject, “What accent was that? When you said _fuck_? It didn’t sound British?” he lowered his voice to a husky breath when he swore. Remus guessed this was in imitation of him, but it sounded nothing like his voice, instead sending shivers down his spine.

Normally Remus’ accent didn’t come through, so he was interested to see how Sirius would react to it, studying him carefully, his voice box relaxed for the first time in a while and slipped back into the lilting tones of his childhood, “No, it was welsh, I’m from Northern Wales.”

He was expecting that same half smile, or perhaps laughter, but instead he was met by no discernible expression. If Remus had really been looking closely, he would have seen Sirius’ pupils dilate further, his Adams apple bob in a gulp and a slightly slackened jaw. But he blinked and only saw the carefully blank face that had smoothed over the porcelain features.

“Uh. Hum. Hm. Welsh? I didn’t – I couldn’t tell. Good- good job at hiding it? Why, uh, why hide it?” Sirius could feel his face heating as he stumbled over his words, tongue still tripping with an adrenaline rush of desire.

It was Remus’ turn to smile as he began to recognise Sirius’ previous lack of reaction. To taunt him further, getting back at Sirius previous mocking of him, he remained in his natural accent. “Well when I moved here it attracted attention and I didn’t want to be stopped and asked about my voice all day when I just wanted to read. Also it helps in getting jobs. Especially in places like libraries; people won’t think you’re ‘clever enough’ unless you speak in Received Pronunciation”

Sirius felt the heat start to creep down his neck as the R’s in the final two words rolled off Remus’ tongue, falling off of his plump, tea burnt lips. “Don’t uh, feel the need to speak in RP on my account.”

Remus returned to the English accent he had gotten used to using, “Oh it’s just habit now.”

“No, no! Please, no need…” Sirius trailed off as he realised how desperate he sounded, his entire body now felt it was flaming from embarrassment, although it could have been burning from something else. He looked up when a foot gently nudged at him, and found Remus grinning widely. He could see his crooked teeth and the asymmetrical qualities to the wind-blown man’s face as dimples crinkled the golden skin like creases in paper, eyes shining brightly.

“Alright, if you insist.” Remus returned, fully amused at how the use of his original accent had turned the cool and collected Sirius into the mumbling, red-cheeked mess that he usually fulfilled the role of. “Anyway, it is getting late…”

Sirius regained some composure, although the burning jumped up at the sound of the welsh accent returning, “Oh yeah, the books are still waiting?”

“They are. I’d like to get through at least one of these tonight, before the library notices I’ve pinched them again.” He said, patting the pile of books between them.

The heat leaping, Sirius’ hand jumped up, settling gently over Remus’. “I won’t keep you any longer then. Although I would like to make sure you’re okay and that you definitely don’t have concussion… could I ring you sometime to check?”

It was Remus’ turn to return to the ‘red-cheeked mess’ that Sirius had been moments before. No one had ever been so forward with him before, and the comfortable warmth of soft skin over his own, cold-roughened knuckles caused a dance to pirouette in his stomach. “I’m sure I’m fine, but yes, I’d like you to ring me…”

Regrettably extracting his hand he passed his phone over to Sirius, realising the notification light was still flashing.

“It is a Nokia brick! Wow, I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

Remus laughed softly at the undisguised excitement bubbling out of the handsome face and waited to exchange numbers.

All too soon they were standing up (Sirius stood, Remus stumbled to an upright position) to leave, Sirius holding the door open for Remus who was wondering when it had gotten so dark. As they both stepped out Remus gasped at the cold. “Bloody hell, it’s frozen out here.”

Taking note of Remus holey jumper again, Sirius shrugged off his leather jacket, revealing a thick black sweater beneath. Remus looked at him with an expression he could only think of describing as shocked as he held the jacket out. “I can’t take that. You’ll freeze. And I can’t give it back to you and-”

He cut off as Sirius took the books out of his shivering grasp and replaced them with the supple leather. “It’s okay, I don’t have far to go and this is warm enough. I guess I’ll just have to see you again and you can return it then?”

Realising he liked the prospect of this very much, Remus absently murmured assent as he slid his arms through the pre-heated material. It had a confusing yet enticing scent of popcorn and musk, which had the effect of calming his shivers almost immediately. Taking the books back he said, in as strong an accent as he could muster, “Thank you, Sirius. I suppose I’ll be seeing you again soon then.”

And with that he turned and tripped his way down the cobbled street, away from the warm glow of the café and the raven haired man that had ignited a similarly warm feeling in his chest.

Sirius watched as the other man melted away, the retreating figure aflame in the glow of the café; an autumn leaf he had been lucky enough to catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story probably holds entirely too many clichés, but it's fun and easy to write compared to forcing oneself to write originally for so many things. If anyone has any suggestions to what I could add/ remove regarding this story, or if there really are too many clichés, feel free to leave a comment.


	5. Chapter 5

The walk home after that was, thankfully, uneventful for Remus. No more tripping or napping or flirting with dark fairy tale princes. There was only so much his delicate soul could stand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally opened the door to his tiny flat, weaving his way around stacks of books with well-practised skill.

He still managed to trip on the corner.

With tea brewing and the throbbing in his toes subsiding, he kicked off the tattered shoes and jeans that had triggered, although he didn’t know it yet, a life changing moment. Remus threw in a random teabag to the boiling mug, for once not spending hours deliberating what herbal concoction would be best tonight. Finally settled in his solitary armchair, he curled under a huge throw that looked at least 100 years old but only cost £2, and balanced his book and tea in a precarious, but well practised position.

Only to his frustration and utter bewilderment, Remus found that for the first time in his life, he couldn’t concentrate on the book in front of him.

Instead he found images flashing across his vision, of slick black strands curling loosely into a bun; glinting teeth through a half-drawn curtain of a smile; crinkled, alabaster skin shooting like stars from twinkling grey eyes.

He once again found himself cursing his overactive imagination, wishing that the images would stop so his chest would stop fluttering so pathetically, so excitedly. His heart was alive with the acknowledgment that this beautiful specimen of human seemed to like him and wanted to speak to him again, see him again.

At this particular train of thought Remus stopped, realising that although Sirius had given him his number, he had not reciprocated with his own. Anxiety that usually appeared when walking into rooms already crowded with people or having to talk to a cashier when paying suddenly consumed him. If Sirius had contacted him first it would have been fine, he would be building off someone else’s social skills. But making the first move? He didn’t know how to do that. He would surely mess it up. He didn’t know when to contact Sirius. Was now too soon? Tomorrow? After that? But maybe that would appear rude, like he was trying to steal Sirius’ jacket.

The matter was taken out of his hands; he woke up, numb, 7 hours later, mug lying on a damp patch beneath an outstretched hand. Groaning, he made his way to bed as best he could with limbs he couldn’t feel and a mind that wasn’t all there. He could feel and underlying layer of anxiety, but at that moment he could not remember what could be remotely wrong. He fell asleep moments later with a small smile playing on his lips, not unlike the one he had been watching all afternoon.

                                                         -                                                 -                                           -                                           -

Awaking to a shrill ringing, Remus blinked at the rusty alarm clock, wondering how he had gotten to be anywhere near it. The next moment he was consumed by a warm buzz of feeling, one he would expect to feel when opening a long awaited for book.

He dragged a hand over what he would have liked to call bed-tousled hair, but was probably better described as a birds-nest crafted from a lion’s mane. Forcing fingers through the knots he lumbered into the flat’s main area, stumbling to a halt as he felt damp carpet under foot.

The previous day’s events rushed back to him, with an underlying annoyance at his now wet socks. His face burnt at the memory of the forward, dark-haired man that had come to his rescue in the street. Setting the kettle on to boil, he replayed the afternoon, the buzz unfurling until all his sleep-sore limbs tingled.

Carefully sipping his PG tips, he realised that the anxiety had been dispelled and all he really wanted to do was talk to the other man again. After all, it was only polite to let the beautiful stranger know he was okay.

_R: Morning. Just thought I’d let you know I’m not concussed. Sleepy, but fully conscious._

The anxiety ebbed back a little as he awaited a response, but nothing arrived whilst he was getting ready for the day, inbox still empty when he had arrived at the library. The journey had encountered more stumbles than usual; a pile of books in one hand and a phone his eyes were glued to in the other.

Never one to break library policy, he turned his phone off with a sigh, hoping that his anxiety didn’t get any stronger during the long shift.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally another chapter! sorry to leave it hanging so long, i've been busy, busy. feel free to leave comments!

Sirius awoke with a jump as he rolled over and smashed his nose into the wall. It was the only downside to his decision of upsizing the bed. The mattress filled the room from wall to wall, and whilst it mostly made for a more comfortable night’s sleep and a good duvet den, he was surprised his nose hadn’t yet broken from the amount it hit the walls. Daylight streamed in through the sheer muslin sheet he had hung over the pre-existing curtain poll. He wondered again why he had bothered; it had next to no use in regards to lighting.

He blearily dragged a hand over his eyes in an attempt to become accustomed to the brightness, vision clearing and focussing on his watch. 12.30pm. Groaning, he sat up, trawling though his mental diary to see if he had any lectures today. He vaguely recollected one on the importance of family in society but figured that it can’t have been that important if he hadn’t remembered. He knew enough about family anyway.

His alarm should have still woken him though; his hand plundered through the duvet clouds that had formed around him. Fingers eventually closing around his phone, he realised it was completely out of charge. That was when the previous night’s events came flooding back to him. He felt an amber warm draft rush through his sleep lumbered body as he pictured the crooked grin and flyaway hair he’d spent the night with.

Anxious to contact the clumsy male again, he hurriedly shoved the charger in and walked the two steps to his kitchen for his morning coffee. He finally heard his phone buzz as he was stirring the milk in, immediately abandoning the mug.

_R: Morning. Just thought I’d let you know I’m not concussed. Sleepy, but fully conscious._

The draft rushed through him again, this time not settling down, swirling around in his growling stomach and lifting the corners of his mouth. His thumbs automatically set out to reply, but remained frozen as he realised he had no idea what to say. Something in him really wanted the reply to provoke a happy response in the other man, not just a simple reply, but to make him feel something. Sirius wasn’t used to the idea of wanting to make others happy, unless it was James maybe.

Thumbs lingering a little while longer, he eventually tapped out,

**S: Afternoon! I’m glad to hear it, I did worry.**

And followed it up with,

**S: I bet you look adorable when you’re sleepy**

His stomach churned with regret as soon as he pressed send on the second message. What had compelled him to do it? Remus must think him so forward, he probably didn’t even like him that way, it’s not like they had done anything other than talk yesterday…

                                                                          -                                                     -                                                      -

Sirius’ stomach barely settled all day, leaping every time he checked his phone, making his essay writing very unproductive. He didn’t get a message until 5pm, and even then it was just James asking if he wanted to go over for a drink. After another hour of trying and failing to work, another hour of empty inboxes, he decided to take James up on the offer.

Locking the door behind him he shuddered at the biting air, almost regretting giving it to Remus last night. But then he remembered the feeling of seeing the tatty boy in it and decided the cold wind he’d have to endure on his bike was definitely worth it.

Fingers numb and hair dancing wildly he dismounted outside James’ tiny house he shared with his girlfriend, Lily. Her manner reminded him of Remus a little and she dressed in a similar state of disrepair, making him like her a little more. He fished his phone out of his pocket as he waited for the door to be answered, heat rushing through and warming him as he realised Remus had replied.

_R: Sorry, was in work all day._

_R: You want to bet?_

The door opened to reveal a pink cheeked Sirius, grinning wildly at his phone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ignoring coursework to write this, but after the positive feedback I got on the last chapter I couldn't wait to write more about these characters.

James tugged vigorously on his front door, grumbling under his breath about the “piece of bloody crap” for the 5th time that day. The complaints stopped abruptly as he caught sight of the glowing Sirius on his front step. He hadn’t seen him this happy since they won the house football tournament against Slytherin, back in secondary school.

Sirius glanced up a moment later, looking almost surprised to see James there, smile growing wider as he lumbered forward, clapping his friend on the back with an, “Alright there Prongsy!”

Shocked, the bespectacled friend could only reply with, “Heya, Pads…”

Pushing past him and into the tiny corridor, Sirius rubbed his hands up and down his jumper violently, calling out “Where’s that lovely girlfriend of yours then?” following with an equally enthusiastic, “Hey, Lily!” as he entered the kitchen two seconds later.

Instead of replying Lily gaped in surprise as she met James glass concealed eyes with a quizzical expression. The equally bemused man just shrugged in response as they turned their attention to the absent-mindedly grinning, pink-nosed man that was seemingly staring at their dying house plant as he continued to rub his arms and rock from foot to foot.

“Hey, Sirius. Are you okay?” Lily had found her voice, adopting a concerned tone. Sirius was prone to manic moods at times.

Snapping out of his trance, Sirius sprawled on the end of the kitchen table, “Never better, my dear!”

The Potter-Evans pair continued to look at him oddly, realising that this wasn’t one of the manic moods they had seen before. Grin subsiding a little, Sirius spoke again, “You? You guys alright?”

“Fine, thank you”

“Yeah great, mate”

James made his way around the poor houseplant to bend his lanky limbs into the crooked chair besides Lily. “Want a drink?”

“Yeah, yeah lovely”

The grin returned to full blast as James pored their drinks, Sirius fishing out his mobile to stare at vacantly with shining eyes, thumbs dithering and dancing over the screen.

“Good day then, Pads?” James held out the whisky to his beaming friend.

“Hm? No, not really. Missed a lecture and didn’t really get any work done.”

Never one with much tact, James replied, “Oh. Why’re you so happy then?” Lily elbowed him as Sirius looked up from his drink.

“What? No particular reason. Can’t I just be happy to be seeing my darling friends?”

This time Lily joined in, as they both answered with “No – not really.” It was the camp expression, “darling” that had got tot Lily. She knew that he usually tried to sound as least ‘posh’ as possible, a way of dissociating himself from his family.

“Oh, well then.”

Seeing the happiness start to slide from Sirius face, she tried again, “No, of course you can, Sirius. It’s just you’re not, usually. We know it’s something else that’s got you grinning like a maniac”

James took a sharp intake of breath at the expression used, it often wasn’t best to describe some as a maniac to their face if there was an element of manic in them. But Sirius didn’t seem to notice, off in his own world again.

“I should have known I couldn’t fool you.” looking down at his feet and taking another sip, he admitted, “someone, not something”.

Lily and James glanced at one another with faint alarm but mostly confusion. Although Sirius was viewed to be a bit of a sex-icon, particularly back at school, he had never actually been in a relationship with someone before, never shown any kind of interest beyond a few one-night stands.

Again, in synchrony, they replied, “Oh.”

Sirius gracefully pushed himself off the table and turned to face them, “His name is Remus and he looks like something the wind blew in, he really likes books and he has different coloured eyes and he has wonky teeth and the craziest hair I’ve ever seen – it’s even crazier than yours James – and he likes tea and he’s really clever and I think he might be flirting with me”, Sirius gulped down the oxygen he had missed in that outburst, fingers tapping erratically on the side of his glass as his cheeks burnt at the thought of having just revealed all that.

The couple stared at him with wide eyes.

“What?” demanded the embarrassed man?

He was greeted with mouths that curved up to mimic the grin he had worn just moments before.

James started to sing song, “Pads has a crush, pads has a cru-ush” as Lily scraped her chair back and attacked Sirius with what was meant to be a hug but felt more like a tackle, whisky flying over the both of them, “Oomph.”

The colour on the once pale cheeks rose, the grin returning as he yelled, “Shut up, James!” When this threat came to no avail, he tried, “It can never be as bad as you talking about Lily for 4 years!”

James did shut up at that, as it was probably true. Lily released Sirius, who hadn’t realised such a small person could be so strong and laughed her uniquely-harsh laugh at James. It set them all off, the high spirits in the kitchen consuming them, and they spent the evening laughing and drinking and teasing.

At one point Sirius quietened down, as he realised he still hadn’t replied to the subject of discussion, but Lily snatched his phone out of his hand and raised her eyebrows, setting off another round of teasing. Eventually they paused and ‘helped’ him compose a reply,

**S: I’d love to bet. Winner gets my jacket?**

_R: Sounds like a fair prize. Glad to keep this jacket, it is very warm._

Sirius pictured the twig-thin man snuggled up in the jacket, reading, and thought that he’d be winning either way.

**S: Who says you’ll be keeping it?**

**S: Can I see you tomorrow to settle this?**

_R: Breakfast?_

_R: I start work at 9._

**S: 8 it is.**

Sirius fell asleep that night warmed not only with the copious amount of blankets Lily had heaped on top of him and the sofa, but with laughter and love and the thought of the shock of tawny hair he’d see the next morning.


	8. Chapter 8

A violent buzzing against his cheek shook Sirius awake. Sitting up with a start he blinked slowly, letting the room reveal itself from beneath the black spots that had filled his vision. The buzzing came again and he realised he had fallen asleep with his phone cradled against his face. He had several notifications.

_R: Sorry, I woke up a bit late._

_R: I’ll only be a few minutes late, just thought I’d let you know so you didn’t leave._

Sirius smiled at the endearing messages and settled back with a pleasant excitement running through him. It quickly turned to panic as the bolts clicked together in his mind and realised that for Remus to have been late he must be really late. Looking back at the phone, the panic was confirmed – 7:45am.

Attempting to untangle himself from the mass of blankets and eject himself from the sofa simultaneously, he stumbled to his feet. Pushing slender fingers through his mop of sleep-tangled hair, he searched hurriedly for the socks he’d kicked off during his slumber, cursing inwardly for never setting alarms. With both socks mostly on, he charged into James and Lily’s bedroom, searching blindly through the curtain-filtered dawn light for some kind of deodorant. Fingers locating a familiar bottle, he sprayed it liberally on himself whilst stumbling to their bathroom, oblivious of the couple he’d woken up. He splashed his face and rinsed his mouth out as best he could in the short time span, noticing a distinctly phone-shaped mark on the expanse of alabaster skin.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, fighting an uncooperative, sleep lumbered, slightly hungover body, he grabbed what belongings he could see, shoved his feet into unlaced boots and whirled out of the front door. Or at least he tried to, but it stuck again, so he cursed at it and edged his way out of the gap it allowed.

The ride to the café wasn’t long, but it was particularly reckless this morning. Not having taken the time to tie back his shoulder length hair, his face was whipped by the black locks, fingers turning bright red at the wind chill the fast speed was giving. Several skipped traffic lights later, Sirius halted to a stop outside the café, barely checking if he’d locked his baby well enough. His phone revealed he was only 15minutes late, and trying to tame his hair again he sauntered into the café.

For the first time since he’d woken, he paused. Frozen, as he saw the golden man with the runaway limbs sprawled in the corner, mouth twisting unhappily as he contemplated the content of his cup. He looked up resignedly, unexpectantly, only for his face to transform into the embodiment of joy. Sirius’ stomach flipped as he saw the plump lips stretch into a grin, a long bony hand lift and wave him over. Sharply in taking a breath, he tried to make his walk as casual as possible as he made his way over, but couldn’t stop his mouth from mimicking the face his eyes were glued to.  

Their eyes didn’t leave one another’s until the scrape of his chair broke them out of the trance, and Remus greeted him with a slightly winded, distinctly welsh, “Hi.”

Sirius broke out into a grin again, for once not caring if this made him look slightly unhinged or create unwanted crinkles in his skin, “Hi.” Another few moments of staring before Sirius shook himself to his senses, “Hey. Sorry I’m late. So sorry. I only woke up half an hour ago, I always sleep in-”

He was interrupted by Remus with a playful tone to his voice, “Looks like I won the bet then.”

“Wha- what?”

“The bet! You definitely look more adorable sleepy.”

Sirius cursed at himself for the umpteenth time that morning, as the colour on his cheeks rose to match the mark his phone had left. Ignoring his embarrassment, he took the time to really take in Remus’ appearance. Despite the fact that he had also slept-in, he looked surprisingly awake, eyes bright and a hint of pink gracing the ochre hues of skin. At sight of the hair though, Sirius gulped. It was clearly still a bed-head, bronze tufts sticking up in various directions. Eyes flicking back down to meet the dual-toned pair shining back at him, he replied, “I may have to beg to differ.”

“Oh, you can beg, but I won’t relent, love.” Remus surprised himself at how easily the flirtation tripped off his tongue, missing the darkening of the half-awake man’s eyes across from him.

Sirius didn’t think he had ever been so attracted to someone before. He felt his palms become clammy as he heard the dominating phrase Remus had so easily said. He hadn’t been flirted with like that for so long.  At a loss of words, he huffed a little laugh, “hah okay, but your hair is adorable.”

“It can hardly rival yours.” Remus reached out to push his fingers into the tangled mess of ebony that adorned the blushing man’s head, and let his hands trail over the roughened jaw Sirius hadn’t had the time to shave. As if suddenly realising the intimacy of his actions, he quickly withdrew his hand, leaving a longing Sirius.

To cover up the sudden movement he sniffed the air, leaning closer and asked, “What is that smell?”

Sirius knew he hadn’t had time to shower, but he thought the deodorant would have covered up any leftover stench of alcohol or sweat. Surreptitiously sniffing his sleeve he looked back up at Remus in horror. “Oh god, I must have put Lily’s perfume on by mistake!”

Instead of the mocking laughter he expected, and his reddened cheeks had prepare him for, he looked up to find the previously bright eyes to have dulled, corners of flushed lips to be turned down, Remus having assumed a closed expression.

“Lily?”

“Yeah, James’ girlfriend. I stayed on their couch last night. You okay?”

The bright expression returned almost immediately, and Sirius realised that Remus had been jealous. The warm feeling in his stomach bloomed and he found himself reaching across the table for Remus’ hand in a sudden fit of brevity. “I don’t like ladies, Remus.”

“No- I- I didn’t mean- You don’t?”

“No, I don’t. Just men.”

“Oh. Any- any particular men?” despite the courage he tried to inject, Remus’ cheeks burned and he couldn’t meet the dark, handsome man’s eyes.

Sirius mouth lifted on one side and he squeezed Remus’ hand despite the clamminess his own was emitting, “Yeah, I think I can think of one.”

And the crooked grin he was met with lit his heart on fire, filling him with a warmth he’d never felt to this extent before.

“Me too.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but I can finally update as I have a new laptop now. Happy Christmas to all those who celebrate it and I hope those who don't are also having a lovely holiday. In response to a comment, I have made a tumblr which you can feel free to check out if you want, I'll link it at the end.

All too soon it was time for Remus to go to work, the two surprised at how yet again they lost track of time, too absorbed in conversation and the way one another moved; a hand pushed through hair here, a lip tugged at there.  

Sirius didn't want to lose the company just yet though, so he steeled himself for the second time that morning. 

"Could I, could I offer you a lift, Remus?" 

Each vein in Remus' body jumped as Sirius said his name. Suddenly flustered again, he stuttered, "Er, well, er, I wouldn't want to put you to any troubled, I er, I'll be alright really. Not far -" He broke off though when he saw Sirius face falling again, and realised that the other boy wasn't just being polite. He actually _wanted_ to give Remus a lift. And all Remus wanted was to never see that closed expression on the taller man again, so he tried again. "Actually, yes! That would be lovely, did you park near here?". His pulse jumped again as the joyful grin he was starting to fall for returned to crinkle the pale skin. 

"Yep. Right here," Sirius reached out to pat his motorbike. 

It was Remus' face's turn to fall. He stumbled backwards, "Oh, er, on second thoughts, I'm sure I'll be fine walking, fine really." 

The same chuckle that Remus first heard whilst sprawled on the street returned, "Ah don't be scared. She's perfectly safe." He took a step towards Remus, "And faster than walking too." 

Tilting his head back so he could look into the chocolate eyes, Remus replied, "I'm sure _she_ is a lot faster that walking, all the same I'd rather be slower if I'm honest." 

Sirius saw the genuine panic in the winter-autumn eyes, biting his lip in thought he decided that whilst Remus would definitely get on that bike one day, he didn't want to scare him off just yet. "Okay then, as you wish. I'll walk with you, maybe have a look at some books." With the last comment he threw a tiny wink at Remus' relieved face. 

The panic subsiding, Remus fell back into the flirtatious tone they seemed to have developed, although his cheeks coloured from the wink, "Books! Really, Sirius- reading books!" 

"Black. Sirius Black." 

Cheekily grinning up at him, Remus started down the street, "Of course it is. Black. Seemingly the opposite of you." He added the last part quietly, but Sirius heard it nonetheless. His chest tightened. It had been a long time since someone saw him as something other that his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My side blog: http://padfooted.tumblr.com/   
> (I apologise there is not a ton of Harry Potter right now, if anyone has any good HP blog recommendations comment below and I'll check them out!!)  
> (Or alternatively if you'd like me to just follow you I can do that too!)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter may be triggering - there is homophobia and slurs

As soon as they stepped through the doors of the library, Remus' expression changed from one of animation and joy to more sombre and serious, looking automatically more reserved and professional. Sirius found this hugely endearing but could tell Remus took great pride in his work, considering it very important. 

"I guess I'll leave you here then. I'm going to stay for a bit and study so you can find me if you have a break. If you want, that is." 

The joy flitted back across the shorter boy's face for a second, "Yes I'd love to! I don't normally take breaks because I'd rather be working but if you're here then I will." 

Smiling, Sirius bit his lip to prevent a bubble of laughter erupting, "Okay I'll see you soon then. Have fun working!". He couldn't stop laughter from entering his tone and punctuated the sentence with a wink before wandering off to find a free desk.  

Forcing himself to concentrate on his work and finish the essay he had procrastinated yesterday, he didn't look up again for another hour. He was jolted out of his studying reverie by a crash, his eyes jumping up to see some young men mucking around by one of the shelves. The source of the noise was a book falling. Annoyed he looked back at his paper, trying to get back into the right frame of mind. A second later he was distracted again, this time by a voice he had so quickly grown to cherish.  

"Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." 

Sirius' heart began to thump as he saw a pair of round spectacles, fashioned from what looked like dark, gnarled wood, perched over Remus' eyes. Paired with the fierce, yet polite expression that adorned the older man's face, Sirius could feel blood rushing to two particular parts of his body. The face was embarrassing enough, but the other - well, he hadn't had to deal with a problem like that in public for a long time.  

He was snapped put of his embarrassment a moment later as he heard the group reply. A sickly pale, scrawny man with a pouched face, beaky nose and lank, black hair stepped towards Remus, "Go on then. Ask us to leave then." 

A resigned expression melted over the librarians features, "Please could you leave, you're disturbing the libraries peace." 

The beaky nose lifted over his scrawny shoulder to look at the equally greasy men behind him, "I don't think we will, will we, lads?" Turning back to Remus and leering over him, "We have a right to study, don't we?" 

Unperturbed, Remus responded, "Indeed you do, but currently you're not exercising that right. You're simply causing an unneeded commotion. Leave now, please." 

Sirius felt like cheering. If it had been him he would have already responded with a fist, but Remus maintained perfect, polite composure.  

One of the boys at the back of the group contributed in a faltering, high-pitched voice, "Why would we do anything a faggot says?" 

Blood started racing through Sirius' veins for two reasons at that comment. 1. Even if he hadn't been completely gay himself, he would know bigotry and homophobia is one of the most imbecilic things humans have produced, and always feels ready to punch anyone who thinks otherwise. 2. He was extremely familiar with the voice that had said it.  

Roughly pushing back his chair he stomped over to the group, fuming. As he reached them, he extended a hand and gripped the squeaky boy's shoulder forcefully. 

"Oi what do you think you're doi-" the boy literally squeaked as he turned and saw who was touching him, "Siri -, Sirius! How lovely to see you!" 

"I wish I could say the same about you, Peter." Sirius crossed his arms tightly, as if to restrain himself, "Unfortunately, since you seem to have become a homophobic arsehole since cutting off our friendship, I cannot. Kindly fuck off out of the library now?" 

Peter squeaked again and looked at the beak-nosed man who turned his unpleasant sneer on Sirius, "Who do you think you are, you can't boss us around."  

Sirius unfolded his arms revealing two tightly clenched fists and stepped towards him, managing to make himself seem taller with threat. "I'm a student trying to study, and I'm a person that doesn't want to see Remus being talked to in that way." 

The 'slimy-git' as Sirius had named him mentally, actually chortled, managing to spray spittle in the taller man's face as he did so. "Oh, Remus is it? He is a fag lads, and look we've got ourselves his boyfriend too!" 

"Shut up. Shut up you git!" 

Remus, who had remained quiet with awe during the exchange, spoke softly, "Sirius, leave it, they're not worth it." And to the others he adopting his own threatening expression, the glasses magnifying stern eyes "and I did try to ask you to leave nicely, but I'm going to have call security now."  

He started reaching into his back pocket but was interrupted by a weak voice, "Lets just go, Severus. He definitely isn't worth our time." He punctuated his sentence with a harsh jab in Sirius' direction, who didn't know whether to be offended at Peter's remark, or to be grateful he had just saved him from getting his knuckles bruised. Again. They'd only just fully healed from the last time someone decided to be an imbecile in his presence.  

Severus sneered at Peter too, who looked like he was about to pass out in fear, but nodded at the others nonetheless, leaving the pair alone between the shelves.  

Sirius turned to face Remus, drinking in the way the glasses suited his golden skin and highlighted his extraordinary eyes. "Are you alright?", he asked in what was meant to be a soft tone, but turned out more gruff.  

"I'm fine, Sirius. I've had to deal with pricks like that more often than I'd like.". He looked down and Sirius followed his gaze. They had stepped together so that they were almost touching. The shorter boy reached out and took one of Sirius' hands in his, unfurling the clenched fingers, and then repeated it with the other. He felt Sirius physically sag, the tension seeping out of him, and looked back up, "Are _you_ alright?". He asked in an almost whisper, concern adorning his features.  

Sirius had never felt more ashamed, he closed his eyes for a moment, opening them he said, "I have a lot of anger issues, I'm sorry. I always react so fast and violently and I know I shouldn't but the impulse just grabs me and those guys were being such pricks, I just-" 

He was interrupted by his hands being clasped between two warm, calloused ones, "Shh, Sirius it's alright. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm just checking if you're okay." 

Despite the slight tremble Remus could feel in the other man's hands, he nodded, "Yes. Yes, I will be fine." Now that his emotional gates had been opened, he didn't even try to resist his body as he lent down and pressed a soft kiss to Remus' brow. As he stepped away, a huge grin curved into the honeyed face of the librarian. Giving Sirius' hands one last squeeze, he released them, saying in a low voice, "I've got to get back to work, but I'll come back as soon as I can get a break, okay?" 

Sirius bit his lip and smiled, nodding as he ambled back to his desk. He was amazed at how quickly his mood could change around this man. He had never known his anger to be dispelled so quickly, and it had definitely never been converted into uncontrollable joy before. Within minutes he was fully immersed in his essay again, managing to finish just before Remus returned.  

"They've given me the afternoon off because I always work over time!"  

Sirius grinned up at the no-longer bespectacled librarian and pushed a hand through his hair, "Brilliant." 

And it was. He was filled with bliss at the idea of spending an entire afternoon in the presence of this man that he had known for less than 3 days. Absolute bliss.  


	11. bonus chapter: a profile of peter pettigrew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this doesn't really effect the plot, not yet anyway, but i wanted to include some backstory before we got too deep in. you don't have to read this if you just want plot development!

After not doing very well in his A-Levels due to the need to actually study to succeed, unlike Sirius and James, he had not gotten in to uni. Sirius and James encouraged him to move in with them anyway, but he insisted he had to stay and help out his mum in the family bakery, despite the fact she rather he didn’t, being so clumsy. The truth was Peter, as well as being embarrassed, had fallen into a deep depression. It was something he had been battling with quietly for years, paired with anxiety that caused him to sound so nervous all the time. People thought he was shallow and stupid because he never really voiced what he was thinking; the reality was, he didn’t want people to know what was going on his mind, they would cast him away. James and Sirius were the only ones that could make him feel better, treat him as clever. They included him in their pranks and when he was with them he felt some ounce of worth. But when it came down to it, when it came down to the dreaded grades, he wasn’t really worth anything after all was he? It was all a façade. Sirius and James were bright as ever and off to study, but he didn’t really have any talent. So he decided to cut off their friendship, he was no longer of any use to him, in fact he didn’t think he was ever of use to them – they were much better off with a new life without him. He met Severus Snape one night when curled up in an alley during a bad come down, hating himself for binge eating again. The boy didn’t seem to care he was a fat, quivering mess, just that he was as pathetic as him, but with some decent muscles beneath all the fat (as kneading bread was the one thing he was good at in the bakery). Peter had someone to follow again, so he started to concentrate more on that and less on the self-loathing he had become consumed in. He was still depressed, but now he had a means of taking out his pain on other people, other things, rather than himself; he was just getting along if he didn’t dwell too much on how much of a monster he was becoming. But then Sirius had shown up in the library and the pain started to turn inward again. There was Sirius, being good as always, defending innocent librarians, and here was he, terrorising them for no means. The guilt started to eat away at him rapidly and he’d decided by the next morning that this simply couldn’t go on. He could be like Sirius if he wanted, he just needed to stop being like Snape first. So he sat his mum down and told her the whole story. The next week he had his first therapy appointment, with the goal of getting good enough to rekindle his friendship with Sirius and James again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah the anticipation can finally be nulled! i hope this chapter does it justice, more soon.

Upon leaving the library, Sirius and Remus lost some of the easy flow that they had acquired since first meeting. They walked away from the impressive building, both walking limply with hands hanging awkwardly by their sides as neither initiated conversation. Each was consumed by thought of the other, so much so that they almost forgot they were still in each other’s company.

Sirius was the first to snap out of this reverie, clearing his throat to ask what Remus wanted to do with his free afternoon. But as he turned his head to ask, the sharp profile slid from view. After a split second of confusion, a sharp gasp was heard from below him. The taller man looked down to find Remus sprawled by his clunky feet. A moment of initial concern passed through him, but a quick once over and a glance at Remus’ exasperated expression told him he was fine. A laugh shocked out of him, taking ahold of him until he couldn’t stop. He sank to his knees as tears threatened to spill out of mirth-creased eyes.

Remus openly stared at him in surprise, but found the sound of pure joy to be contagious, joining Sirius’ high, melodic laugh with his own deep, rasping sobs of hysteria. Neither of the men noticed the stares they were attracting from fellow pedestrians as they sat, sprawled in the middle of the path surrounded by books and laughing until their wide grins produced only wheezing breath and the tears spilt out.

Remus eventually caught his breath, gulping it in hurriedly, as though to keep the next chuckle escaping from his throat. Wiping at his face with the heels of his palms, he blinked up at the now motionless Sirius, the wide smile still creasing his face threatening to trigger them both again.

Sirius’ voice was full of light and air as his now well exercised throat danced over his words, “You have to stop falling for me”.

Remus had been staring at the way the light glinted off the trickles of laughter that had meandered down the pale man’s face. His breath caught again at the turn of phrase, and before he knew it his work roughened hand was reaching out to touch the glistening trails. As his thumb followed them from the deep blue eyes to the corner of the slowly sobering mouth, he murmured in a low voice, almost to himself, “I don’t think I can.”

Sirius breathing stilled as he heard Remus’ words. The boundless joy that had filled him just seconds before was replaced with a hot, heavy thumping of his heart beat.

The coarse skin that had been deliciously caressing the silkiness of his own finally came to rest on his lower lip. It had fallen open with shock at Remus’ whispered admission, and was now being grazed by the golden man’s thumb as fingers danced almost teasingly at his jaw. In the next moment it had been replaced with a velvety softness and then a flicker of something warm and wet.

And suddenly Sirius remembered how to breathe again, a small gasp sucked out of the air before he reciprocated with his own chapped lips. He felt the plump mouth curve up at his own movement before sucking at his lower lip and eliciting a choked whimper. Sirius’ cheeks blazed at the unintentional sound and he pulled back. The hand that had found its way to the back of his neck prevented him from retreating in embarrassment, so he made do with looking down and nibbling at the tender lip that had been subject of the beautiful man’s attention.

He flickered his eyes back up has he felt Remus’ fingers tangle in hair that had escaped to the nape of his neck and was met by a pair of smouldering eyes, pupils blown so wide it was hard to tell the irises’ colours differed. They flicked back down to the lip caught between Sirius teeth and suddenly they were crashing together again, mouths hot against one another, Remus’ hand holding him so close he was enveloped by him, his husky, autumnal scent, the echo of the rasping laugh, the memory of the defiant look on his face in the library; all tied to one epicentre, the burning, slick mouth that moved so earnestly against his.

“Ahem. Hem. Uh, excuse me. Gentlemen?”, the column of heat they seemed to have built around themselves dissipated quickly as they heard the tentative cough of someone above them. Reluctantly pulling apart they blinked up at the offending interruption.

“Yes?”, Remus’ voice was husky with breathlessness and disbelief at what he had just done, sending shivers up Sirius’ spine.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but this is a public footway.”

Sirius hummed impatiently.

Sighing in exasperation the man above them continued, “You’re currently obstructing it.”

Another few blinks and Remus suddenly realised this man was dressed in a uniform. A policeman’s uniform. Gasping, he scrabbled up, pulling the still entwined Sirius with him as he did.

“Sorry, officer. I must apologise, sir. I- I, er- forgot.”

Sirius added nothing but a sheepish expression and a pink tinge at the top of his cheekbones.

The policeman looked as though he was trying to contain a smile as he said, “No worries, gentlemen, just don’t do it again please.”

Remus’ cheeks burnt scarlet at the situation, bending down to gather his scattered possessions as he said, “Yes, yes, of course, officer. Sorry again, we’ll be on our way now. Good day.”

And with that he stumbled backwards and set off down the street.

A hand caught his and he looked back to find Sirius with an amused expression adorning his features again, “Oi, you, troublemaker, not so fast!”

He slowed and a smile curved into the fading blush of his cheeks. Sirius reflected him and he couldn’t stop the anxious laugh slipping out. Soon they were off again, sobbing with laughter as they stumbled down the street.

Neither of them had ever felt more ridiculous. But then again, neither of them had ever felt this happy, either.


End file.
